A recent data assessment concluded that a more energetic walk is better for mental health and reducing dementia.
A combination of sluggish walking and memory problems may quadruple the risk of dementia later in life, according to new research from the University of Edinburgh
In the new study, experts discovered that people with Motoric Cognitive Risk (MCR), a syndrome characterized by sluggish walking speed and self-reported memory issues, are at an increased risk of cognitive impairment and had higher mortality rates.
The researchers at the University of Edinburgh hope that their findings will lead to patients’ walking pace being tested frequently when they are being examined for early signs of dementia.
Researchers looked at data from over 50,000 participants with MCR aged 60 and up from 15 different studies.
A person matched the criteria for MCR if they walked significantly slower than people their age and gender and had experienced memory problems.
Experts discovered that those with MCR were more than twice as likely to acquire dementia and had a 76% higher chance of cognitive impairment (difficulty remembering, concentrating, or acquiring new information) than those without the condition.
The researchers also discovered that persons with MCR had a 49 percent higher risk of death and a 38 percent higher risk of falling than those without it.
Since this was a pooling of observational data, the researchers stress that it was unable to determine if MCR causes these outcomes or is simply a risk factor for them.
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